Slicing machine mechanism



April 9, 1940. J. FOLK SLIGING MACHINE MECHANISM Filed Feb. 15, 1936 4Sheets-Sheet 1 fiuenibr JEsgpiU la (/70 I I I I I I I I I F I I JUocooeoooooeeeg lllllllllllllllll April 9, 1940. J. FO LK SLICING MACHINEMECHANISM Filed Feb. 15. 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JfwenZZz' dagph/fi L15 Q3@0 4 7 April 9, 1940. J. FOLK SLICING MACHINE MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 3Filed Feb. 15. 1936 L tiz lnwH l I: .r Y M, WW j fl 6%, Q w i m hww {MiI am m.

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April 9, 1940.

Patented Apr. 9, 1949 PATENT- oFFicE" 2,196,725 I smo' Ne MACHINEMECHANISM JosephFolk, La Porte, Ind., assignor to U. S. Slicing MachineCompany, La Porte, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application February15, 1936, Serial No. 64,146

. 10 Claims.

This invention relates to slicing machines and particularly formechanism therefor. More specifically the invention relates to a slicingmachine having a manually reciprocating carriage and an electricallydriven knife.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a slicing machinehaving a stationary but rotatably mounted knife electrically driven anda manually reciprocal carriage, there being control means to preventreciprocation of the carriage and rotation of the knife but permittingreciprocation of the carriage and rotation of the knife upon manualoperation of said means.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a reciprocalcarriage having stop means to prevent movement of the carriage in aforward direction in combination with releasable means for releasingsaid stop to permit movement of the carriage; means are also operativelyconnected with said releasable means whereby rotation of theknife iseffected only upon manipulation of said releasable means. and when thecarriage is released.

A further object of the invention is to provide operating handle and astop member operated by a part of said handle whereby the carriage canonly be moved in a forward or cutting direction upon proper manipulationof the handle.

3Uv Another object of the invention is the provision of a carriagehaving an operating handle and electrical connections to the handlewhereby the handle upon proper operation thereof causes operation of theelectrical means for causing rotation of a slicing machine knife.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a reciprocalcarriage and a stationary,

rotatably mounted knife with electrical connections therebetween forpermitting-operation of the knife and carriage; the electricalconnections comprising conductors leadingto a motor which drives theknife, a switch for effecting electrical connection to the electricalmeans upon operation of the switch, a pilot light to designate whetheror not the current is on, and manually controlled means for releasingthe carriage and for operating a mercury switch to effect the electricalconnection to the motor.

Numerous other objects and advantages Will be apparent throughout theprogress of the following specification.

- The accompanying drawings illustrate a selected embodiment of theinvention and the views therein are as follows:

a slicing machine having a carriage with an Fig. 1 is a top planview ofa preferred form of slicing machine and embodying the invention; Fig. 2is a detail longitudinal sectional view on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1; r

Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal sectional View on theline 3--3 of Fig.1; Fig. 4 is a detail transverse sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig.1; v

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic o-r schematic view' showing the electricalconnections.

The particular slicing machine herein shown for the purposes ofillustrationcomprises a base I having longitudinal side bars or rails 2and 3 7 upon which there is mounted for fore and aft reciprocation acarriage 4. A motor 5'is housed within the base supportingstructure hasclearly shown in Fig. 1., and drives a stationary but rotatably mountedknife 6 which is operatively supportedon'a knife supporting bracket 1. sThe knife 6 is driven by the motor 5 through a train of-gears' orpulleys indicated generally by the numeral 8, Fig. 2.

A substance support 9 is operatively mounted I above the top of thecarriage 4 to feed substance vto the knife during manual reciprocationof the carriage. Feeding mechanism i0 is provided to feed the substanceprogressively to the cutting plane of the knife during operation of thecarriage. This feeding mechanism .is disclosed and claimed in applicantsPatent 2,136,792, granted November 15, 1938; :1

A handle H, Fig. l, is rigidly connected to the carriage to reciproca'tethe carriage forwardly and rearwardly in'a rectilinear pathparallel tothe cutting plane of the knife. {A longitudinal rod or bar It isslidingly supported in a part of the carriage frame and is provided witha grip portion l3. A spring it, Fig. 3, surrounds the rod l2 and urgesthe portion l3 away from the ban-- dle grip portion I5 of the handlemember H. A bracket I6 extends downwardly from a part of thecarriagaFig. 4, and pivotally supports a cross bar l'l, Fig. l, uponwhich there is rigidly mounted a fitting I8. A pin. 19, Fig. 4, isrigidly carried by the fitting 18 and extends into a receiving openingit provided in the'rod. l2. A stop point or plug 2| is mounted in thelower end of the fitting l8 and is adapted to engage any one of theseries of openings or recesses 22 formed in a longitudinal bar or strip23 fixed to the upper face of the base, Figs. 1 and 4. The plug 2| isnormally urged downwardly against the strip 23 and particularly in arecess 22 thereof. Forward pressure on the handle I5 thereby isprevented from moving the carriage forwardly because the plug 2I wouldbe engaged by the recess 22. In order to permit the carriage to be movedin a forwardly direction the plug 2| must be disengaged from a recess27!, and this is done by moving the rod I2 rearwardly toward theoperators stance. The portion [3 on the rod I2 is arranged injuxtaposition relatively to the handle grip portion l5 so that the twoparts 13 and I5 may be conveniently operated as a unit and as a singlegrip. By gripping the two parts I3 and I5 the part I3 is moved towardthe part i5 which imparts longitudinal movement of the rod 12 in adirection toward the operator and against the tension of the spring Hi.When the rod I2 is moved rearwardly, that is toward the operator, bysqueezing the portions I3 and i5, the fitting !8 is caused to swing onits pivot I1 and release the plug Zi from a recess 22 in the strip 23.The carriage is thereby permitted to be freely operated. The advantageof this stop mechanism for the carriage is to insure safe loading of themachine as the carriage is locked in a predetermined position andmovement thereof is prevented unless the grip I3 or-rcd i2 is purposelyoperated.

It will be noticed, however, that the plug and its fitting I8 extendforwardly in an angular position so that forward movement of thecarriage is positively prohibited unless the plug is retracted from itsreceiving notch 22. The carriage even though being frictionally lockedis capable of being moved rearwardly, that is toward the operator,because the plug will be relatively free to slide over the variousnotches 22 in the strip 25. However, in loading, the thrust against themachine is generally, if not always, forwardly, and

forward movement of the carriage is preventedv unless the grip I3 or redi2 is purposely manipulated by the operator.

The knife 5 is of the rotary type and while being rigidly mounted isfree to rotate in one. direction during operation of the motor 5. It isdesirable that the motor and consequently the knife be not operatedunless it is intentionally desired to do so. Therefore, means areprovided to prevent rotation of the knife except when the carriage isbeing operated. Means for causing or preventing rotation of the knife isalso determined by manipulation of the grip portion i 5 and itscooperating rod I2. 7

A longitudinal rod or bale 2 5 has forward or front end provided with anangularly disposed leg 25 to which a stud or pivot is rigidly attached.The stud or pivot is pivotally supported in a slot or recess 27! formedin a bearing 28 on a part of the carriage 4. The forward end of the rod24 has a fitting 29 fixed thereto which is likewise pivotally moruitedin a suitable bearing provided in the carriage frame. Anarm or linkrigidly connected to the fitting it carries a pin 3I, Figs. 2 and 4,which is received within a slot 32, Fig. 4, formed in the longitudinalrod or bale 2 1. The projecting end of the rod 24 extends outwardly fromthe end of the machine a predetermined distance as indicated at Figs. 1and 2, for a purpose which will later appear.

A plunger 34 has a cap 35which is adapted to bear against the lower sideof the rod E i regardless of the position of the carriage. This plung erextends through a fitting 35 formed on part of the frame i and a spring3'! is adapted to urge the plunger upwardly so that the cap 35 will bein constant engagement with the longitudinal rod Figs. 4 and 5. Thelower end of the plunger 34 and which comprises the rod 39 is pivotallyconnected as indicated at 39 to a link 48 which has its other endrigidly connected to a cross shaft 4| as indicated at 42, Fig. 5. Theshaft 4! is pivotally mounted in a switch box 43, Figs. 4 and 5, whichis rigidly connected to a part of the main frame I. I

The member 34, Figs. 4 and 5. may be adjust able so as to permitlengthening thereof. To carry out this adjustable feature, the cap 35may be screw threaded and then looked in adjusted position by a setscrew (not shown). Any other adjustable means, such as a screw (notshown) threaded into the cap may be used to effect this adjustment.

A mercury switch 44 is mounted in the switch box #33 and comprises asupporting element 45, the supporting element comprising pairs of spacedsupporting arms 46 and 41 connected across their bottoms by a rigidstrip 48. The mercury switch 44 comprises a tube 49 which is supportedby the member 45, which member in turn is rigidly supported on the crossshaft II. Electric connectors 50 are electrically connected to themercury tube 49 and lead to the motor 5 and to a source of electricsupply, Figs. 4,5, and '7. The connectors 59 are part of an electricalconductor 5I through which current is received. A second electricalconductor 52 also leading from a source of supply is connected alongwith the electrical conductor 5! to a switch 53. The conductor 52 isalso electrically connected to the motor 5, there being an electriclight 54 connected in parallel to the circuit. Thus current coming inthrough the conductors 5! and 52 is ultimately delivered to the motor 5.The conductor 5I leads from a source of supply to one side of the switch53 and then from the other side of the switch 53 to the mercury tube 49,and then to the motor 5, the mercury switch being interposed within theconductor line, and comprises the two aforesaid connectors 50. Theelectrical conductor 52 leads from a source of supply to the lamp orpilot light 54 and then directly to the motor 5. A connector 55 connectsthe pilot light 54 to the switch 53 as clearly shown diagrammatically inFig. 7. To complete the circuit to the motor 5, therefore, it isnecessary to operate the switch 53 and then the mercury switch 44. Whenthe switch 53 is operated to bring current to the electrical operatingmechanism the pilot light 54 will be lighted thereby indicatingpositively to the operator that the current is on. However, the motor isnot yet electrically connected and therefore the slicing knife will notrotate. However, when the grip I3 is moved to the left, Fig. 1, such asby squeezing the same toward the companion part l5, the fitting I8 willbe caused to swing on its pivot and when it does so the plug 2| will bereleased from a recess 22 in the strip 23. The squeezing of the twoparts I3 and I5 of the handle which causes longitudinal movement of therod 24 to swing the fitting l8 on its pivot causes the connecting arm orlink 30 to swing the rod or bale 24 on its pivots 28 and 29, raising thesame upwardly. This raising movement of the member 24 permits the spring31 to raise the plunger 34 upwardly. The raising of the plunger rod 34causes the link 40 to turn the cross rod 4 I, Figs. 4 and 5, and tiltthe position of the mercury tube from the position shown in full lines,Fig. 5, to the position shown in dotted lines. When the mercury tube hasassumed the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5 the mercury ofcourse will run to the lower end and cause a connection to be madebetween the formerly exposed connectors 50, thereby completing thecircuit to the motor. Thus when the grip I3 is moved rearwardly towardthe operator and against the handle grip portion l5 the mercury switchis caused to complete an electrical connection to the motor as well ascausing the plunger to be retracted from a receiving stop recess 22.

To permit free, easy and positive operation of the bale 24 the end 29thereof, Fig. 2, comprises a rigid arm 25' having an opening therein,into which opening there is received a pin 21'. This construction allowsfor a part sliding as well as rotary movement and causes free, easy andpositive operation of the bale. Regardless of the position of the bale,whether the same is in its up or raised position during the running ofthe knife or whether it is in its lowered position, the cap or end 35will always be engaged with the bottom edge of the bale 24 and inasmuchas the end of the carriage normally travels a predetermined distancebeyond the plunger 21 the extending end 24 will still be engaged withthe plunger head 35 to maintain the parts in their electricalrelationship. In other words if the rod 24 did not have the elongatedend 33 thereon the carriage,

when it is pushed farthest away from the operator, would have no contactor engagement with the plunger element 34 but by providing the extension33 on the arm, the plunger head 35 will be maintained in its properelectrical position at all times regardless of the position of thecarriage, v

The invention provides a manually reciprocal carriage with a rotatablymounted knife which is kept from rotating except when it is purposelydesired to cause rotation thereof. This construction provides apositively safe machine, using power only when it is intended to operatethe knife. This construction also permits for safe loading as the knifeis at a stand-still when the machine is being loaded. Further, it isvery desirable that the slicing machine supporting clamp and thesubstance be removed as far as possible from the knife during thesharpening of the knife. The carriage can therefore be moved to anydesirable position such as at the end of its extreme movement toward theoperator, to remove the substance as far away as possible from thegrinding stones. It is necessary during the sharpening operation thatthe operator have one hand on the grip l3, [5 to cause rotation of theknife as well as use the other hand on the sharpening mechanism.Therefore there is hardly any chance of the operator becoming cut orhurt during the sharpening operation.

The present slicing machine, therefore, is economical in that it usescurrent for the motor only when it is purposely desired to causerotation of the knife. The operator is always advised as to whether ornot the current is on because of the existence of the pilot light.Furthermore, the machine is safe in that any body pressure against thepart 15 will have no effect upon the operation of the machine as theparts can only be released by the moving of the part l3 toward theoperator and this is accomplished by squeezing the part 13 toward thepart l5. Safe loading is assured because all the parts are stationaryand there is very little if no danger at all of the operator becominginjured in any stage of the oppurpose of the operator to effect itsrotation.

Changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of theparts without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificingany of its advantages and the right is hereby reserved to make all suchchanges as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims. I

What I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStatesis:

1. A slicing machine comprising a base, a carriage slidable above saidbase in a rectilinear path, a stationary revolubly mounted knife, amotor, means operated by the motor for driving the knife, a switchmounted on said slicing ma-' chine, conductors leading from a source ofpower and operatively connected to said switch, electric connectorsleading from said switch to said motor, a switch interposed in at leastone of said connectors between said first named switch and said motor,means for operating said last named switch independently of said firstnamed switch,-

eration. The knife only rotates when it is the":

and a pilot light mounted on said machine and receiving current fromsaid conductors. at all times when said first named switch is on. I

2. A slicing machine comprising a fixed rotat ably mounted knife, abase, a knife supporting bracket connected to said base and supportingsaid knife, guide rods carried by the base, a carriage mounted on saidguide rods to permit manual movement of said carriage on said guide rodsin a rectilinear path including reciprocating movement in a pathparallel to the plane of the knife, a motor, means driven by the motorfor rotating said knife, conductors leading to a source of supply to theslicing machine, a switch on the machine and connected to saidconductors, electrio connectors leading from said switch to said motor,a mercury switch interposed between one of said connectors, a pilotlight, means electrically connecting the pilot light to the first namedswitch and to one of said connectors whereby at all times to indicatewhether or not the switch is on or off, locking means for thecarriagaand means controlled co-incidentally with said looking means foractuating the mercury switch and consequently the knife.

3. A slicing machine comprising a base, a stationary revolubly mountedknife on said base, a carriage slidably mountedon said base forreciprocatory movement in a plane parallel to the plane of the knife, amotor, means operated by the motor for driving the knife, electricalconnections to the motor, said electrical connections including aswitch, means to permit manual actuation of said carriage in saidreciprocatory path, and means for causing actuation of the switch tocontrol the motor when the carriage is manually actuated, said lastnamed means comprising a manual control handle operatively connectedwith the carriage for manual actuation thereof and control means mountedon said handle and operatively connected with said switch for actuatingsaid switch when the handle is grasped for 1 operation.

4. A slicing machine comprising abase, a stationary revolubly mountedknife on said base, a carriage slidably mounted on said base forreciprocatory movement in a plane parallel to the plane of the knife, amotor, means operated by the motor for driving the knife, electricalconnections to the motor, said electrical connections including a switchand a mercury switch intermotor, means to permit manual actuation ofsaidv carriage in said reciprocatory path, and

means for causing actuation of the mercury switch to control the motorwhen the carriage is manually actuated, said last named means comprisinga manual control handle operatively connected with the carriage formanual actuation thereof and control means mounted on said handle andoperatively connected with said switch for actuating said switch whenthe handle is grasped for operation.

5. A slicing machine comprising a base, a stationary revolubly mountedknife on said base, a carriage slidably mounted on said base forreciprocatory movement in a plane parallel to the plane of the knife, amotor, means operated by the motor for driving the knife, electricalconnections to the motor, said electrical connections including a switchand a mercury switch interposed between said first named switch and saidmotor, means to permit manual actuation of said carriage in saidreciprocatory path, locking means for locking'the carriage in anypre-selected position, and means for controlling the operation of thelocking means and for causing actuation of the mercury switch to controlthe motor when the carriage is manually actuated, said last named meanscomprising a manual control handle operatively connected with thecarriage for manual actuation thereof and control means mounted on saidhandle and operatively connected with said switch and said locking meansfor actuating said switch and said locking means when the handle isgrasped for operation.

6. A slicing machine comprising a rotatably mounted slicing knife,actuating means for causing rotation of the knife, a carriage mountedadjacent the knife for movement in a substantially rectilinear pathgenerally parallel to the plane of said knife, means for manuallyactuating the carriage in said path, means for locking the carriageagainst movement in any of a plurality of positions in said path, meansoperatively connected to said locking means and operated thereby forpreventing actuation of the actuating means for rotating the knife whenthe carriage is locked, and means associated with said manual controlmeans for releasing said locking means, said means for preventingactuation of the actuating means being actuable upon release of saidlock releasing means for causing rotation of the knife.

'7. A slicing machine comprising a rotatably mounted knife, drivingmeans. actuable for causing rotation of the knife, a carriage mountedadjacent said knife for reciprocating movement in a plane substantiallyparallel to the plane of the knife, locking means operatively co-actingwith said carriage for locking the carriage in any of a plurality ofpositions intermediate of its reciprocatory path for preventing movementof the carriage in a predetermined direction, means for manuallyactuating the carriage in said reciprocatory path, and means connectedwith said manual means for preventing actuation of the said knifedriving means when the carriage is locked, said actuation preventingmeans being operatively connected to said locking means and actuated tooperative position when the locking means is selectively operated forpreventing movement of the carriage.

3. A slicing machine comprising a rotatably mounted knife, driving meansfor actuating said knife, a carriage slidably mounted adjacent saidknife for reciprocating movement in a plane parallel to the plane of theknife, manual means for reciprocating the carriage in said path, lookingmeans having interconnection with said carriage for locking the carriagein any of a plurality of predetermined positions in said path, meansmounted on said manual means for releasing the locking means, andcontrol means for operating said knife actuating means, said controlmeans being connected to said lock releasing means and controlled by theactuation thereof for releasing the locking means for causing rotationof the knife when the locking means is released.

9. A slicing machine comprising a rotatably mounted knife, driving meansfor actuating said knife, a carriage slidably mounted adjacent saidknife for reciprocating movement in a plane parallel to the plane of theknife, manual means for reciprocating the carriage in said path, lockingmeans having interconnection with said carriage for locking the carriagein any of a plurality of predetermined positions in said path, meansmounted on said manual means for releasing the locking means, andcontrol means for operating said knife actuating means, said controlmeans being connected to said lock releasing means and controlled by theactuation thereof for releasing the locking means for causing rotationof the knife when the locking means is released, said knife control andactuating means comprising an electrically driven motor and a switchcontrolling the operation of the motor.

10. A slicing machine comprising a rotatably mounted knife, drivingmeans for actuating said knife, a carriage slidably mounted adjacentsaid knife for reciprocating movement in a plane parallel to the planeof the knife, manual means for reciprocating the carriage in said path,looking means having interconnection with said carriage for locking thecarriage in any of a plurality of predetermined positions in said path,means mounted on said manual means for releasing the locking means,control means for operating said knife actuating means, said controlmeans being connected to said lock releasing means and controlled by theactuation thereof for releasing the locking means for causing rotationof the knife when the locking means is released, said knife control andactuating means comprising an electrically driven motor, electricconductors leading from a source of supply and connected to the motor,and a mercury switch carried by the machine andinterposed in at leastone of said conductors at a point between the source of supply and themotor, said switch being connected to the lock releasing means foractuation therewith.

JOSEPH FOLK.

